


Date Night

by ShallowSeas



Series: Say the Word, I'll Follow [1]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Cute, Dancing, Drunk Dancing, Drunk Ianto, Drunk Jack, First Date, Fluff, Light Angst, Love, M/M, One Shot, POV Ianto Jones, Post-Episode: s02e01 Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Romance, Slow Dancing, janto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-24
Updated: 2017-06-24
Packaged: 2018-11-18 06:32:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11285619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShallowSeas/pseuds/ShallowSeas
Summary: "I'm sorry, Ianto." He told him, meeting his eyes."For what?" Ianto asked, even if he already knew the answer.Jack closed his eyes, attempting to gather his thoughts. "I-" He started, but quickly cut himself off. He looked down at the table before continuing. "For everything. For leaving, for him. Y-" He stopped again, letting out a quiet sigh and looking at Ianto again. "You didn't deserve that. Any of it."





	Date Night

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this a while ago, as the part before "I Should Let Him Go" but I lost it after my computer crashed.  
> I recently recovered it and decided to post it.  
> Please feel free to comment and give suggestions! :)

"Not a suit." Ianto told himself, rummaging through his closet. Normally, he kept his house spotless, but his bedroom currently had clothes thrown all over his bed, making their way onto a pile on the floor, as he went through everything trying to find something to wear for his date with Jack. As hard as it was for Ianto to admit it, he wanted to impress Jack. "I have nothing to wear!" He declared, throwing his hands on his hips as he looked at the mess in his bedroom. He sighed, annoyance rising. "And I have to clean up this mess."

Ianto looked over at the clock on the wall, 9:10pm. He had 20 minutes before Jack would be there. Usually, their work kept them out all night, but Jack had sent everyone home early that day. At the time, Ianto was irritated, insisting he could finish the day's work and still get ready for his date with plenty of time to spare. Now, he was worried he still wouldn't have enough time. He went over to his bed, looking through the dress shirts that were now piled up. He found a black button up, a dark denim pair of jeans and a studded belt. "This will have to work." He told himself, quickly dressing. He walked into the bathroom, fixing his hair. Through a long day of weevil hunting, it had fallen out of its usual style.

Relatively satisfied with his appearance, he walked into the living room and sat on his couch. Looking over at the clock, 9:25pm, his anxiety started to rise. _What if he changes his mind?_ He asked himself, checking his cellphone. Nothing. _What if it's awkward, what if we have nothing to talk about, what if he decides he doesn't really like me?_ He repeated these questions in his head until he almost felt sick. Pulling out of his thoughts, he looked at the clock again, 9:40pm. As the minutes ticked by, Ianto tapped his fingers impatiently, waiting for Jack to arrive. Of course, Jack always liked to make a dramatic entrance, but being late wasn't exactly what Ianto had in mind. Finally, he heard a couple loud knocks on his front door, bringing him from his spiraling thoughts. "Finally." He muttered to himself, getting up from the couch. He opened the door to a smiling Jack Harkness, holding a small bouquet of flowers.

"Sorry, I'm late." He smiled at the younger man.

"20 minutes late." Ianto pointed out.

"Had a bit of trouble finding someone to sell me flowers this late." Jack responded, holding out the bouquet for Ianto to take.

As much as he wanted to be mad at Jack for making him wait, but the smile on his face was enough to melt the anger away.

"You could've come without flowers." Ianto told him, taking the flowers from him. He waved Jack in and walked back into his kitchen; Jack followed, leaning against the wall, watching Ianto rummaging through his cabinets to find a vase. He filled it with water, placed the flowers inside and set them on top of his bookshelf in the living room, making sure it was directly in the middle.

"I could've." Jack answered, shrugging. "But what can I say? I love a little romance." He walked up to Ianto and pulled him in for a small kiss, then pushed him back to arms length. "Love the outfit." Jack told him with a smirk. Ianto rolled his eyes, but couldn't help the smile spreading across his face. He could feel his cheeks getting hotter.

"Let's go." He said, ushering Jack out the door, hoping he didn't notice how badly he was blushing.

* * *

They made their way to a pub not far from Ianto's home, knowing if either had too much to drink, they could walk back. Ianto had never been there, but he had heard plenty of stories about the place, from Jack. They entered the pub, Jack leading the way, he sent Ianto to a booth in the corner of the pub, while Jack went up to the bar to order a couple drinks. Ianto took his seat and started attempting to calm his nerves. _Okay,_ Ianto thought, _so far so good_. It wasn't like they had never been out together before, they'd been on and off since he joined Torchwood, but they had never been on an actual date. He was beginning to think he'd never to get this point with Jack, especially after everything that had happened recently. _This is good, this is nice._ He told himself, playing with his hands nervously, under the table. Jack sat across from Ianto moments later, sliding a beer across the table with a wide smile. Ianto took a sip, noticing Jack still smiling he set the bottle down.

"What?" Ianto asked him, sounding a little more annoyed than he had intended.

"Nothing, y-" Jack paused, looking a bit unsure. "You look beautiful." Jack dropped his eyes from Ianto, looking down at the table. It wasn't like Jack to be nervous, but Ianto had to admit, it was pretty damn cute.

"Thank you." He said, reaching over and taking Jack's hand in his. "I made a mess trying to get ready." He admitted. Jack threw his head back and laughed, Ianto couldn't help but laugh, as well. He loved it when Jack laughed.

* * *

After a few hours of shared stories and laughter, Ianto noticed Jack's demeanor change. He was unsure, again. Nervous, even. He was starting to slouch, avoiding eye contact and playing with his hands more and more. He knew the conversation was about to get more serious, he knew exactly where Jack was going with this, something Ianto had been dreading since the beginning of the night. Ianto wasn't ready to talk about what had happened, not yet. Jack had left. He had left the team, he left Ianto and when he finally decided to show back up again, it was with his insane ex-boyfriend following at his heels.

"I'm sorry, Ianto." Jack finally spoke, meeting his eyes and breaking Ianto from his train of thought.

"For what?" Ianto asked, even if he already knew the answer.

Jack closed his eyes, attempting to gather his thoughts. "I-" He started, but quickly cut himself off. He looked down at the table before continuing. "For everything. For leaving, for him. Y-" He stopped again, letting out a quiet sigh and looking at Ianto again. "You didn't deserve that. Any of it."

"Jack, it's fine." Ianto told him. Though, it wasn't. He was still pissed at Jack for leaving; he was pissed that Jack came home, trying to act like nothing happened and he was pissed that his ex-boyfriend, Captain John Hart, tried blowing him and the rest of the team up. He had tried to move on from it, he really had. But all-in-all, it hadn't been that long. Ianto wasn't exactly one to hold a grudge, but it had been so hard. Jack had left, without so much as a goodbye, and had been gone for a long time. The rest of the team had to pick up and carry on like nothing happened, Ianto had to act like he didn't care. He had to push the team to carry on, telling them Jack wasn't coming back, trying to convince them of something he couldn't even convince himself. He couldn't count the nights he spent awake, staying at the hub, waiting for Jack to come back, he never gave up hope. He couldn't count the times he had to tell himself to get over it, that Jack was gone because he didn't care. But, if tonight had proved anything to Ianto, it was that Jack did care.

"It's not, Ianto." Jack told him, with more of an edge to his voice now. "I care about you. If something happened to you, if I lost you? I-" Jack couldn't bear the thought. "I don't know what I'd do." Ianto couldn't help but smile. Jack had feelings for him, real feelings. He just couldn't figure out how deep those feelings ran. But, he was finally starting to get that he wasn't just a fling, or something to pass the time. It was then that Ianto started to realize just how hard he had really fallen for Captain Jack Harkness, even if he couldn't say the words. Maybe, it didn't even matter. The reality was, in the long run, it would never work. Jack was immortal, and people in this line of work didn't live long. But they could make the most of the time they had together. They were both here now, together. Nothing else really mattered.

"Well, then. I guess it's good I'm not that easy to get rid of." Ianto answered with a shy smile, attempting to lighten the mood. "It'll take a bit more than a psychopathic ex and a few explosions to scare me away."

"I guess that is a good thing." Jack laughed. "Definitely wasn't the first time I've gone through something like that, I guarantee it's not the last. Think you can handle it?"

Ianto smirked. "Absolutely." Jack had no idea how truthful he was really being. Ianto would follow Jack into Hell. He practically had.  
  
Ianto hadn't realized how late it had gotten until the bartender shouted for last call. Ianto and Jack made their way from the pub, holding each other up.

"This is ridiculous, let's just call a cab!" Ianto shouted, slightly slurring his words as he started to realize just how drunk he was.

"No!" Jack protested, like a child. "I don't need a cab, I want to walk!" Ianto sighed and leaned them both against the side of the pub.

"Alright, fine." Ianto knew there was no point in arguing with Jack when he was drunk, he wasn't going to win. "But I'm not carrying you." He added, letting go of Jack and removing himself from the wall. Losing his balance in the process, Jack caught him and held him upright.

"I'm thinking you're the one who would need carrying." He responded with a grin. Ianto couldn't help but smile back, Jack was beautiful.

* * *

About a block away from Ianto's house, Jack suddenly stopped walking, causing Ianto to bump into him.

"Why are you stopping?" Ianto asked, as Jack turned to face him. Jack had a devious grin spreading across his face.

"Dance with me." That wasn't what he was expecting, and Ianto wasn't quite sure he heard right.

"Dance with you?"

"Dance with me." Jack repeated, shrugging slightly.

"Here?" Ianto asked, feeling his anxiety start to rise again.

"Why not?" Jack shrugged, looking away. Jack seemed just as nervous as he was and Ianto couldn't help but smile. It was refreshing to know it wasn't just him; Ianto still wasn't entirely sure, but he was definitely still drunk enough. He knew Jack's rapidly regenerating cells had probably already sobered him up quite a bit, if not completely, so it was hard to not feel embarrassed. He looked around for a second, then smiled as he mustered his courage, grabbed Jack's hand and pulled him into the road.

"Alright, Jack." He smirked as Jack pulled him close. "Let's see what you can do." Ianto teased.

"I can do lots of things." Jack whispered in his ear as he held him close, swaying back and forth.

Ianto was speechless. Everything about this night had been so perfect. He had danced with Jack before, but there was something special about tonight. There was no kissing, nothing. It was just the two of them, holding onto each other and dancing slowly in the silence that filled the night. After a couple minutes, Jack started to hum quietly. It was something he heard Jack hum often, but he still didn't recognize it. He often wondered if it had something to do with Jack's home, but he never asked. He knew how much Jack liked his privacy and he didn't like to pry. It didn't take long for Ianto to relax more, resting his head on Jack's chest. Ianto had never felt anything like this before. He had never felt so alive. He had loved Lisa, of course. But this was different, somehow. When he was with Jack, it was unlike anything Ianto had ever felt. He felt safe. Complete. Happy. Ianto had felt so broken, for so long, it was a strange feeling to be so at peace. Ianto looked up into the older man's eyes. He was smiling. Not in his usual cocky, Jack Harkness way, but he looked genuinely happy, content. Ianto smiled back at him and snuggled his face close to Jack's neck.

Ianto's thoughts raced as they danced. _I love him_ , he told himself again, still unable to say the words out loud. He still wasn't sure exactly what his place was with Jack. He knew he meant something to Jack, but he also knew the problems that came with that. He'd known the man for a few years now, and that was long enough to know he didn't really do love, not anymore. Ianto knew Jack preferred to keep things casual, to keep people at arms length because he knew it was just a matter of time before the inevitable happened. But he also knew Jack let him in a lot closer than he let most people. He knew this date was Jack's way of saying he cared, but as much as Ianto wanted to, he wasn't about to confess his love for Jack, yet. He wasn't about to ruin this night by saying those words now. Not to mention, he wouldn't say those words for the first time, this drunk. It wasn't right. For the first time in a long time, Ianto was happy. Everything else started to melt away as Jack held him. In that moment, nothing else mattered. He couldn't imagine a more perfect night.

Ianto heard honking and the spell was broken, he quickly turned around to see the car barreling down the road straight towards them. Terrified, he froze. He felt a sudden surge as Jack pushed him out of the way, falling on top of him. He couldn't make out what the driver was yelling, but he was sure it wasn't anything nice.

"Ow." Ianto stated, almost involuntarily. As drunk as he was, it took him a moment to register just how badly it hurt to be shoved off the road and landed on by Jack.

"Are you okay?" Jack was already on his feet, offering a hand to Ianto.

"Yeah, I think." He wasn't about to admit how much it hurt, but he was pretty sure he'd still be sore in the morning. He took Jack's hand and pulled himself up, landing back in Jack's arms where he pulled him in for a kiss.

"I guess that's our cue to head home." Jack laughed, taking Ianto's hand as they began their walk again.

* * *

The sun was beginning to rise when they had finally made it to Ianto's flat. Ianto fumbled with the key, unable to keep his hand steady, it took a couple tries before he got the door unlocked. He was exhausted.

"Stay with me?" Ianto offered from his doorway, unsure if Jack had already planned on staying.

"Of course." God, he loved Jack's smile.


End file.
